


Swap

by Issinder



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Body Swap, Gen, prodigies with issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-31 16:02:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21148409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Issinder/pseuds/Issinder
Summary: Sometimes, you wake up the day after your visit to the circus, and find yourself a changed man. Sometimes, a man changed into another man. A man you're not overly fond of. Man oh man...





	Swap

The first thing Cid Garlond noticed after his headache and dry lips was that his feet looked odd. What a strange assessment with which to start the day, he thought. Of course, it did not end there, as he looked up further and noticed his knees. By the twelve, when had he started skipping leg day? They were shapely, certainly, but they lacked bulk and sturdiness. He was starting to wonder about his mental state, and decided to consult a mirror to see if anything else was amiss. Of course, there was. Cid touched the glass, then his face, then the glass again. Surely not…

From further down the corridor there came a loud scream, followed by the swift sound of feet in motion, and Cid’s door burst open. He was greeted by himself, looking very exasperated. The Cid in the doorway was wearing part of Nero’s outfit, but he was ill-suited to it; the trousers were too long, the top didn’t close properly, and the sun glasses...  
‘Garlond!’  
‘Nero.’  
The Cid body blinked. ‘Oh, no. Don’t tell me…’  
‘It would appear so. You have mine and I have yours.’  
Nero sat down on the bed. ‘Gods be good, this is an all new kind of hell.’  
‘Oh, it’s bad for you, is it? What about me? Hm?’ Cid said, gesturing at his general presence.  
‘I’d call it an improvement.’  
‘Of course you would. Now, how did this come about?’  
Nero pondered the question. ‘Well, I remember the special brew, the festivities…’  
‘I think…’ Cid added, sitting down on the bed.  
‘Maybe it was…’ Nero said, joining his fellow engineer.  
‘The circus!’ they cried in unison.  
‘Then we must make haste and talk to them before they pack up and leave!’ Nero said, standing up and looking around the room for clothing better suited to his current predicament.  
‘Garlond, we really need to find you something less workmanlike,’ he muttered.  
‘The circus will be in town for a while, Nero,’ Cid said. ‘Nevertheless, I do believe we need to get this thing solved as soon as possible.’  
A top and a pair of trousers hit him in the face. ‘Please put these on, Garlond. While I enjoy seeing myself starkers, I prefer to be inside myself when that happens.’  
Nero paused.  
‘I could have phrased that differently, but oh well.’

As the two got dressed, there was a knock on the door. ‘Chief?’  
It was Biggs. ‘We’ve got the new designs ready, chief. Could you sign off on them?’  
‘Very well, Biggs. I’ll be right there,’ Cid responded.  
‘Errr, we’d think the chief should do it, Nero. He got awful cross last time you butted in,’ Biggs responded, sounding confused. Cid swore.  
‘Yes, Nero, behave yourself. I’ll be right out, Biggs,’ Nero responded.  
As the footsteps receded, the two Garleans looked at each other.  
‘We really need to sort this out.’  
‘We really do.’

In the workshop, Biggs was going over the plans one last time before the chief came out. What had Nero been doing in his bedroom? They generally avoided each other after hours, except for when they went out to drink, which would make them, in short succession, best friends, worst enemies, the most committed brothers in arms, and insufferable loons. He shook his head. Wedge prodded his friend.  
‘What’s cooking in that head of yours?’  
‘Nothing, just… I came to ask the chief to come and take a look at these plans, yeah?’  
‘Yeah?’  
‘And Nero responded.’  
‘Right?’  
‘From the chief’s bedroom.’  
‘...Rrright? And you were sure Nero wasn’t saying that from his own room?’  
‘They’re not even close, you know that.’  
Wedge nodded. ‘I do, but…’  
‘That's was I was thinking. What was he doing there?’  
The two looked at each other.  
‘You don’t think…’  
‘I mean-’  
‘It’s not-’  
‘No, no it’s not. It….’  
As one, they nodded. ‘We shall give them space to discover their new dynamic, Wedge.’  
‘An excellent idea, Biggs.’  
Giving each other a spiritual pat on the back, they waited for Cid and Nero to appear, which they did not long after, further cementing the notion that Something Had Happened. Cid seemed to walk strangely, almost like a primate, until Nero elbowed him.

‘What?’ Nero hissed.  
‘I don’t walk like that,’ Cid hissed in return.  
‘Could’ve fooled me,’ Nero responded.  
‘Quiet, they’re looking at us.’  
‘What ho, Biggs, let me look at those plans of yours, which I am sure are marvellous.’

Biggs stepped aside to let the chief take a look, while Nero sort of lingered behind him, arms folded.  
‘Hmmmm, yes, very good. I have some concerns about the overall fuel flow, especially here, but in general the design stands. Don’t you agree, NERO?’  
‘IIIIII do, yes. You took the words right out of my mouth there, GARLOND. Although I do believe the design would benefit from more… red,’ the tall Garlean noted.  
‘Oh, you do, do you?’ said the chief, raising an eyebrow.  
‘Of course I do, red is my colour, I like red.’  
‘Of course, but-’  
‘Red, red, red, oh how much lovelier all of these designs would be if they had more red in them.’ At this point, Nero twirled, his hands clasped together like a maid flirting with a strapping young soldier.  
The chief was having none of it. ‘Not everything I- YOU like is about it being red. How dare you cheapen m-YOURself this way.’  
‘I have no idea what you mean, Garlond, this is who I am. I am merely being my true self,’ Nero said, smirking.  
‘Well, mayhap I agree with you for once.’  
Biggs and Wedge blinked. ‘Chief?’  
‘Yes, I do believe this entire machine would look better with more red in it. This whole bit there should absolutely be in red.’  
‘I-’  
‘Yes, Nero?’  
‘Nothing. Nothing, just… I am in awe of your superior design choice, Garlond. Very, very… excellent.’  
‘Good. Carry on, Biggs. I have nothing further to add. The machine will serve its purpose wonderfully.’  
‘Yes, chief. Thanks.’  
‘Shall we go, Garlond?’ Nero said. ‘We still have an urgent task to take care of?’  
‘I am aware, Nero. I will see you two later.’ 

Cid fingergunned, and the two walked out. Biggs and Wedge had their eyes damned near fall out of their sockets.  
‘They are without a doubt expanding their relationship,’ said Wedge, bouncing with glee.  
‘It is equal parts entertaining and terrifying,’ added Biggs, holding his face in his hands.

‘How did you think that went, Nero?’  
‘I don’t know, Garlond, you tell me.’  
Outside, the two men fell back into their actual selves.  
‘Red, red, tra la la?’  
‘Walking like a goobbue?’  
‘You do walk like a goobbue.’  
‘I do not and you know it.’  
‘This is terrible and it needs to end, now where was that circus?’  
'Town square?'  
'Town square.'

As the two of them arrived, they noticed a distinct absence of circus.  
'They'll be here for longer, you said. It'll be fine, you said.'  
'Put a sock in it, Nero.' It wasn’t even midday yet, and Cid already felt like he was 80 years old. Being with Nero was insufferable, but being in Nero's body while Nero was next to him being insufferable was, if possible, worse.

Someone bumped into him.  
'Watch it,' he said. The Roegadyn who bumped into him gave him a look. 'Watch yourself, Garlean. Just because you're Cid Garlond's friend doesn't mean you get to be lippy.'  
Cid was about to respond, but Nero cut in. 'He's a good man, you hear. You may not trust him, but he's earned his place in the Ironworks and I won't have you treating him like this.'  
'Okay, master Garlond. I'll take your word for it.' The burly man went his way, but the look on his face made it clear that Nero was not in his good books, nor would he likely ever be.  
Cid approached Nero. 'Do you know him?'  
'As if that's ever mattered,' Nero scoffed. 'You may think the sun shines out of my arse, but the rest of the world has voiced its disagreement at many a turn.'  
'Firstly, I do not think that. Secondly, why didn't you tell me these things happened to you?'  
Nero turned to face Cid. 'This is not the academy, Garlond. I don't need you to step in and save me from the bullies,' he spat. 'Let them rot. I'll be who I am regardless.'  
Nero would have gone on, but something stopped him.  
‘Do you feel that, Garlond?’  
‘Feel what?’  
‘That sudden chill in the air, as if all joy is sucked from the world, and oxygen now costs you money.’  
‘I can’t say that I-’  
Before he had a chance to finish his sentence, Nero pulled him along.

The two hid behind a large shrub just as Rowena rounded the corner. A few fulms from the bush, she stopped and sniffed the air.  
‘What is it, mistress?’ one of her lackeys asked.  
‘I smell something. Like a bag full of unwashed marmots, or Nero Scaeva. Either of the two. That Garlean stick still owes me a few designs.’

Cid could hear Nero hold his breath, and felt a sudden need to smell the body he was in to confirm Rowena’s assessment. He’d have to do that later. No. Wait. Let’s not smell Nero’s body. Then again, being now inside said body and without his own nose, would he even smell it? Unlikely. His own smell, on the other hand. What would that be like to experience from a different body? Truly, he’d never have another shot at this since they were en route to have this whole mess fixed. They were huddled close together. All he had to do was lean in a little.

Nero was listening for Rowena’s footsteps. He really wanted to hear them as she moved away from them. Alas, she was still looking around for him. Hopefully, she’d not even think about having a good dig around in the greens. He felt Cid leaning in closer. Good. Best to stay out of sight.

Wait.

Was Cid smelling him?  
‘Cid, what in all seven hells are you doing?’ he hissed as quietly as possible.  
‘Sating my curiosity,’ the Garlean whispered quietly, blushing.  
It was Nero’s turn to be surprised as he’d never seen himself blush. It wasn’t even that bad of a sight. He really ought to do it more. Also, Garlond’s idea wasn’t even that silly. What was it like to smell yourself through another person’s nose?  
As he leaned in to have a whiff, something tickled his nose and Nero sneezed.

‘Aha!’

A strong pair of hands grabbed him by his coat and pulled him out of the bush.  
‘Cid Garlond?’  
Rowena was eyeing Nero quizzically.  
‘Er, yes?’  
‘What on earth were you doing in that shrub?’  
‘Looking for my special tool.’  
Rowena arched an eyebrow.  
‘No. No no no. Not like that. It’s… just a handy gizmo. Which I dropped in this general area. When coming back from the circus. Last night.’  
Nero could feel himself sweating. Calm down, he thought. You look like Garlond. She can’t tell it’s you.  
‘If you don’t mind, I must continue my search,’ he managed to say, making to dive back into the bush. Alas, it was not to be, as his actual body was pulled out as well.  
‘There you are, Scaeva!’ Rowena cried triumphantly. ‘I knew I smelled your musk around the place.’  
‘Er,’ replied Cid.  
‘At a loss for words, eh? That’s new,’ Rowena said with a smirk. ‘How are those designs coming along, then? The ones with a deadline for five today? Those ones?’  
‘I-’ Cid managed to say, but Nero stepped in.  
‘Rowena, yes, the designs, goodness. I’m very sorry Nero’s been late, but I’ve put him on a big project. Very big. So big, in fact, he’s been run off his feet, the poor bugger.’  
The mistress of sales arched an eyebrow. ‘Oh, truly? That is unfortunate, but I suppose it’s for the good of the realm?’  
‘Yes. For the realm. Eorzea must be kept safe from those who mean her harm, and who better to aid me in such an endeavour than the very man who used to work on keeping it unsafe?’  
Nero leaned over to Rowena. ‘Don’t worry. I’ve seen him work on your items on his own time, and they are close to completion. Care to give the scruffy chap an extension? Say, two days from now?’  
The deity of debt seemed to think it over, then nodded. ‘Very well. Although I do question why he’s in that shrub with you. Surely, one pair of eyes is enough when looking for…?’  
‘My gizmo. Yes. Usually, but in this case-’  
‘It’s mine. It’s my gizmo.’  
Rowena looked at them both. ‘So you, Cid Garlond, were in a large shrub with Nero, looking for Nero’s gizmo?’  
‘Quite. It’s the best one we have and I sorely have need of it,’ Nero responded.  
After Rowena had laughed loudly, for some reason, and left, Cid and Nero went to the main exit of the town to enquire about where the circus had gone. One of the guards just coming of the early shift was happy to oblige them with the knowledge they so desperately craved, saying that the caravan had moved out and was on its way to the next town over.  
‘May we borrow some chocobo from you?’ Nero enquired. Cid had given up asking for things since no one wished to oblige him (well, Nero,) in particular, whereas Cid’s body seemed to inspire trust and helpfulness. It made him realise that Nero’s journey into becoming a “good person” was made harder by the fact that no one outside of the Ironworks crew really wanted to give the Garlean a chance.

The guard shook his head. ‘Sorry, master Garlond. We only have the one bird, and she’s not the best. She’s got a stubborn streak to her and we’ve had some difficulty making her listen.’  
Nero had half a mind to grab the Red Baron from storage, but suddenly found himself worried over what people would think. Worried about popular opinion, Scaeva? Good grief.  
‘I think we’ll try the bird, anyway,’ Nero replied at last. ‘Who knows, she may be in a good mood today.’  
The bird, as is usually the case in these situations, was NOT in a good mood at all. She sniffed them both and attempted to peck Nero’s body.  
‘Oy, stop that! That’s mine!’ Nero shouted, startling the stable-girl in charge of the bird.  
‘I mean, er, Nero’s my employee. Hazard pay is expensive. Just hand the bird over, would you?’  
‘I didn’t ask, sir.’  
‘A good trait.’

As Nero petted the bird a bit and hopped on, she seemed to calm down somewhat, though she was still apprehensive. Typical Garlond magic, he thought to himself as he stretched his hand out to Cid, who hopped on the back.  
‘We’re off, don’t wait up,’ Nero quipped.  
‘I wasn’t going to,’ the lass responded as she went about her business.  
‘Er, very well. Off we go.’

As the chocobo ran down the road, with Cid holding on to his own body, he was once again struck by how weird it is to hold yourself. Also, he realised more than ever how much taller Nero was. He could easily look over his own shoulder at the road ahead. Nero, meanwhile, was rather enjoying going about town unbothered and unoggled. Not since Garlemald had he experienced that, and even there he’d been the target of envious eyes more often than not. Being Cid Garlond was a pretty sweet deal. At this point, the only thing deterring him from not giving up this body was the idea of Jessie pestering him with paperwork. Also, he felt so short. Of course, that made two things and not one, but the second one was a lot more incidental and a lot less bureaucratic.

After about an hour of riding hard, they saw the caravan in the distance.  
‘Ho there, fair folk! A moment’s time, if you please!’ Cid shouted.  
‘Oy!’ Nero added.  
Apparently, ‘oy’ was also the way to make their bird stop, which she did, enthusiastically and abruptly, flinging both men out of the saddle and into the road in front of her, after which she turned and ran back the way she came.  
‘Come back!’ Cid yelled.  
‘Stupid bird!’ Nero added.  
‘Nero, don’t call her stupid. Chocobo are intelligent and they do understand you,’ Cid chided.  
‘I don’t give a toss,’ Nero grumbled as he got up and dusted himself off. ‘Why do you wear such an open coat, Garlond? Really, the dust just gets everywhere. Or are you just looking for an excuse to touch your bare chest once every half hour?’  
Cid spat out some dust. ‘Well at least I don’t wear my sunglasses indoors.’  
‘Fashion isn’t just an outdoor sport, you dullard,’ Nero retorted.  
‘Who are you calling a dullard, you sod?’  
‘Who are you calling a sod, you second-rate engineer?’  
‘Go back to the bargain bin, wannabe!’  
‘Get bent, hasbeen!’

It was uncertain who threw the first punch, but in a sense it didn’t much matter. After a short time passed, the two men grew tired of punching each other. It just wasn’t right to do so in the other person’s body. Also, it felt more than passing strange to play a game of what was essentially ‘stop hitting yourself’. The circus had heard their kerfuffle and stopped, and while bets had been made on who’d come out victorious, they weren’t going to wait forever. Nero touched his bruised lip and helped Cid up.  
‘I must hand it to you, you pack quite a wallop,’ he admitted.  
‘And you are as agile as a coeurl when you don’t have that hammer on you,’ Cid conceded.  
‘I am tall and make do with what nature has given,’ Nero said. ‘Now let us find the leader of this troupe and end this nonsense.’  
‘On that, at least, we agree,’ Cid said smiling, as he approached one of the people he recognised as a performer from last night. ‘Excuse me, but could you point us toward your master of ceremonies? We appear to have… a small issue regarding who’s in which body.’  
The performer smiled. ‘You have been wise to follow us. It is A’Nora with whom you must speak. .She is in the wagon in front.’  
He gestured redundantly to the front of the wagon trail, and the two engineers went on their way. This was it. The problem would be solved. They’d be able to go about their business as normal and all would be right.

The wagon in front was everything they’d hoped it would be. It exuded exactly the right air of mystery and thrill.  
‘I do appreciate their aesthetic,’ Nero said as he nodded his approval.  
‘It does fit the purpose, doesn’t it?’ Cid responded as he looked around for any sign of the woman who was to end their predicament. She didn’t seem to be in the driver’s seat.  
‘Come in, come in, oh suffering souls,’ came a dramatic voice from within the wagon.  
‘Off we go, I suppose,’ said Cid.  
‘After you,’ gestured Nero.  
After a few more polite interactions, Cid deemed it best to just go first. Cautiously, he opened the door at the back of the wagon, only to be greeted by a curtain of incense, which impeded both his vision and his ability to breathe.  
‘Come hither, come hither, for here ye wild find the answers ye seek,’ came a voice from further in. Nero felt his eyes begin to water as he followed Cid up the steps and into the smoky indoors of the wagon. He saw pillows, of course, and curtains draped across the ceiling. Truly, this was more spacious than he’d anticipated. He had to give the carpenter credit for being able to give the wheeled contraption such a roomy feel. Interior decoration aside, they had business to attend to.  
‘Are you mistress A’Nora?’ Cid said, rubbing his eyes.  
‘Indeed so. Do sit down,’ said the voice, but now they could see through the smoke that it belonged to an old Miqo’te woman with long, grey hair and eyes of pure white, sitting cross legged upon a flat pillow near the other side of the wagon. She’s blind, Nero realised, as they dropped down into the big cushions placed there for the purpose.  
‘You have come to me to undo that which the spirits have seen fit to bless you with,’ she continued.  
‘How is this a blessing-’ Nero started, but Cid interrupted him.  
‘This has been an interesting experiment,’ he said, ‘but surely it’s been enough.’  
‘Has it?’ A’Nora responded, a sly smile forming on her lips. ‘I’m not so certain. Mayhap you must stay like this longer. A few more weeks? Months? Who can say what the spirits have in store.’  
‘Months?!’ the two Garleans spat out in unison.  
‘Months is not an option,’ growled Nero.  
‘I concur,’ agreed Cid.  
A’Nora just shrugged. ‘It’s not up to me to unmake what fate has wrought.’  
‘Excuse me?’ Nero said, eyes widening. ‘Ex-bloody-cuse me?’  
‘I can tell your souls are misplaced, but the solution, ah… That cannot come from me.’

The woman got up and took a step toward them. She placed a hand on Cid’s body’s cheek. ‘Nero,’ she said. ‘You must acknowledge that which bothers you.’  
She moved over to Nero’s body, and touched his cheek in turn.  
‘And you, clever Garlond, need to truly see.’  
Both of you have begun to understand, but you are not yet finished.’ A’Nora sat back down in her pillow. ‘I can only wish you the best, and I hope your visit here has borne fruit, even if the fruit itself was not to your liking.’

As they exited the wagon, Nero felt like being sick. Months in Cid’s body. Months. She’d said months. Cid, meanwhile, just stood there, silent, lost in thought. The circus resumed its earlier route and left the two standing in the road by themselves, without transport. Nero took a deep breath and started walking, Cid following not far behind.

They’d been walking for a short while when Nero lost it.  
‘Aaaaargh!’  
‘Nero?’  
‘Of all the nonsensical things this universe has seen fit to fling my way, this one is by far the worst!’ He kicked a tree in frustration, then kicked it again.  
‘It’s not my favourite thing either, Nero,’ Cid grumbled. ‘I want my own body back just as much as you want yours.’

Nero leaned his head against the tree. ‘Oh Garlond, how you miss the mark.’  
‘Pardon?’  
‘I want my body back, yes, of course, but not the nonsense that comes with it.’ He looked at his friend from the academy. ‘Spending a day in your body has shown me how much the people of this place appreciate you. How much they respect you. No matter what I do, I will never come close to what you’ve achieved. As ever, regardless of my efforts, I will always be second best to _you_.’  
‘Nero-’  
‘The worst thing I could think of was having to deal with the paperwork, but even that is a bloody honour. To have that responsibility, to have people trust in you to the point of bureaucracy, is…’

Nero closed his eyes. His otherwise organised mind was throwing words around like confetti.  
‘I can always aspire, but the more I aspire and the more I work, the less I feel I achieve. It’s a perpetual cycle of having to start over from the bottom, only to never achieve the top.’

Cid, meanwhile, stood and listened. Of course, he knew a little of what Nero was talking about, but hearing him out now made him realise how little he actually knew, and how little he’d bothered to ask. It reminded him of Omega, and he shook his head. Apparently, he’d learned nothing about Nero. He’d just seen the cocksure teen he’d had a rivalry with, up until he left Garlemald to aid the Eorzeans. He’d never have to fight the uphill battle Nero had to fight, nor did he have to walk in his own shadow in a land that praised those who succeeded and ignored those who succeeded less. He approached Nero and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
‘Nero, I have come up short. And no, that’s not a height pun.’  
Nero scoffed.  
‘I am sorry,’ Cid said, continuing. ‘I let you down. All the trust I’ve built up over the years has left me blind to your struggles, and that’s unfair of me. I know you don’t like handouts, and I used that as an excuse to let you go it your own way, even if that meant you having to deal with a certain amount of hostility. Maybe I thought they’d grow to like you as they did me, but I did not take into account how different our circumstances are, and that’s poor judgement on my part.’  
Nero shook his head.  
‘Cid, I-’  
They looked at each other.  
‘I’m sorry, Nero,’ Cid said softly.  
‘You’re a popoto, Garlond,’ Nero responded, slightly unstable of voice.  
‘You’re not wrong,’ Cid said, feeling not all that vocally stable himself.

Nero turned around then, and wrapped his arms around him. After a split second of surprise, he found himself returning the gesture. The two men clung to each other in the road.  
‘This will never leave this patch of dirt, Garlond, do you hear?’  
‘Of course.’  
‘...I am glad you are my friend.’  
‘And I am glad you are mine.’

If the spirits had a flair for the dramatic, the wind would pick up, the trees would rustle with a sense of impending change, and a faint sound of bells and impish laughter would be heard as the two souls found their way back into their own bodies. In this case, however, as the two stood there, eyes closed, embracing, it was more the case of the darkness behind their eyelids increasing and decreasing, while on the outside, only a faint trace of spectral light would be seen. No more was necessary.

Nero opened his eyes to see Cid looking up at him, tears running down his cheeks. He lifted his hand, HIS hand, to HIS OWN face to find much of the same there. He grinned. Then he started laughing.  
As Cid heard his companion laugh for what seemed to be the first time in a very long time, he found himself joining in, as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. They then hugged again, happy for no longer having to be the other, but happy to have the other there.  
‘Garlond, this has been a thing-and-a-half,’ he said, releasing the other engineer from his grasp.  
‘It certainly has been, and I’d rather not repeat it,’ Cid said, smiling.  
‘I couldn’t agree more, so let’s give any circuses a wide berth for the foreseeable future.’

As the two men walked back, they were happy to be themselves again. Of course, Cid would spend the next few weeks explaining to Biggs and Wedge that, no, he and Nero were not exploring further intimacies, while Nero had to deal with Rowena making constant quips about the aptness of his gizmo, but these things were a source of entertainment in their own right. Also, Garlond Ironworks produced its first mostly red product, and it sold remarkably well.


End file.
